FiveTech Software tech support forums

Dear Randall,

This biggest issue we have is that we invested a signification amount of $$$ and time to get CGI (Clipweb) working and we have a very large customer base that likes the product so it is very difficult to simply switch to a new platform. We are hosting our applications so we can control the servers. We got it work with Microsoft Server 2008 and we are working to get operable on Microsoft Server 2012. We are working to convert Clipweb applications from DBFCDX to MS SQL 2008 and higher. Once this is done, I believe we will be able to support the product for the next 10-15 years. I know .NET is probably a better way to go for us since we are a Microsoft development house. However, the flexibility of HTML5 and CSS allows us to manage presentation of software on all necessary devices within Clipweb.

Sincerely,

>>>
Notapor Antonio Linares » Dom Ene 25, 2015 5:13 am

Darrell,

I see that each task is managed by a DLL.

Do you create the DLLs using ClipWeb ?

>>>>

You need a file called IS2WCGI.DLL which we have renamed to CLIPWEB.DLL in this version.

How to use it... Assume you have a ClipWeb CGI program called
mycgi.exe. Basically, all you have to do is copy clipweb.dll to
mycgi.dll and instead of calling mycgi.exe you call mycgi.dll.
Mycgi.dll in turn calls mycgi.exe and passes it all of the information
that your program needs.

>>>>>



For the longest time, Microsoft was telling us that we could not run WIN-CGI
applications on Windows NT under their IIS (Internet Information Server)
Web Server. And we believed them!

Recently, a very smart young man named John Bristor posted a message on
the comp.lang.clipper news group telling me I was all wet, and that one
could indeed run WIN-CGI apps on IIS, "IF" you knew how! He gave me
enough information that with only a couple of hours of research on the
internet I found the answer. It is the Microsoft IIS SDK! (that's
right, it is by Microsoft, but they wouldn't tell us)

Thanks John!

So..... Lets make a long story short.... You need a file called
IS2WCGI.DLL which we have renamed to CLIPWEB.DLL in this version.

How to use it... Assume you have a ClipWeb CGI program called
mycgi.exe. Basically, all you have to do is copy clipweb.dll to
mycgi.dll and instead of calling mycgi.exe you call mycgi.dll.
Mycgi.dll in turn calls mycgi.exe and passes it all of the information
that your program needs.

ClipWeb.dll (IS2WCGI.DLL) is a 32 bit ISAPI dll that acts as a "thunk"
layer between your 16 bit Clipper or 32 bit Xbase++ WINCGI program,
and Windows NT and IIS.

They are both Microsoft's IS2WCGI.DLL which is used for running ClipWeb
programs on Microsoft IIS Web Servers

Microsoft IIS is a very complicated product.

Supporting the installation and setup of IIS is beyond the scope our
technical support resources. Please contact Microsoft for help in
configuring your IIS servers.

ClipWeb has been proven to run well under both IIS 3 and IIS 4.
All of the test examples included here have been tested on both servers.

If you can not run these examples on your IIS server, it is because the
server is not setup properly to run these types of scripts.

This is most often seen on multi-homed servers operated by an ISP where
you are simply renting space. You must request from your provider that
they configure the server to allow you to run these scripts.

In a default IIS 3 setup on a local machine with a single domain and not
connected to the internet, IIS 3 setup starts with a default setup that
has a directory called \inetpub Under that is a directory called
inetpub\wwwroot which is where your HTML files go.

Also under \inetpub is a directory called \inetpub\scripts where your
exe and dll and data files go.

The EXECUTE permissions for this directory must be turned ON

Armed with this info, you should be able to get your provider to
properly configure your server.

Postinelli,

I recently did my own research to use Microsoft IIS and found with great surprise that we can perfectly use CGI EXEs with Microsoft IIS.

I have posted here a detailed guide explaining how to do it
https://code.google.com/p/fiveweb/wiki/Microsoft_IIS_setup

Antonio Linares wrote:Postinelli,

I recently did my own research to use Microsoft IIS and found with great surprise that we can perfectly use CGI EXEs with Microsoft IIS.

I have posted here a detailed guide explaining how to do it
https://code.google.com/p/fiveweb/wiki/Microsoft_IIS_setup

Thank you

by Randal » Thu Jan 29, 2015 7:11 pm

Darrell:

Do you have to use IIS? Could you use Apache instead?

Thanks,
Randal

Randal

I use Apache
Server Software = Apache/2.2.17 (Win32)

on DBFs, DBFCDX + ClipWeb + Harbour

Postinelli,

We have been using Clipweb and IIS since Windows NT 4.0. We have not had any problems. We create an EXE with xBase++. Clipweb provided the Is2wcgi.dll, we simply copy the Is2wcgi.dll to the same EXE name created by xbase++ and Clipweb. For example, if the EXE name is ams.exe then create copy is2wcgi.dll to ams.dll and place EXE and DLL in the runtime folder of IIS. We can define the folder in IIS and set the necessary permissions.

In the most recent version, we have incorporated CSS and HTML5 so the application is more presentable. We are not moving to xbase++ 2.0 so we can switch from DBFCDX to MS SQL.

We have chosen Microsoft platform and we host our applications at a data center in which we own servers and we simply lease the bandwidth and cage (space). The lease includes monitoring and on-site support. We pay about $1,000 USD per month for each location. We are now up to 4 locations so we can provide for redundancy in case of network failure.

All in all, we feel this technology has proven reliable and profitable.

Hi Randall,

We have chosen to use Microsoft IIS from the very beginning. I believe it will work on Apache but we have never tried it.

Randal,

You can use both Microsoft IIS and Apache, no problem at all. Both tested with FiveWeb

Sincerelly I can't understand why you focus on ClipWeb when FiveWeb is much more powerfull, open source and free...

Apps generated with Harbour and FiveWeb are much more smaller and faster than those created with xbase++. Personally I would never advise to use xbase++ to create CGIs... The CGIs put the server to intensively work, so you need small and fast EXEs that will not overload the server.

Anyhow I fully respect each one desition

Dear Antonio,

I agree with you 100% because Clipweb is no longer available and does not have any support.

However, in order for me to switch to FiveWeb. I would like a small sample application the does the following.

1. Uses CSS, HTML
2. Provides for field validation including autocomplete and variable update, for example, type in ID and name, address, city, state, zip, country populate in other fields.
3. Utilizes MS SQL and MySQL
4. Supports session variables (user ID, password, etc.)
5. Supports PDF creation
6. Supports XLS creation
7. Supports multiple device views (phone, tablet, workstation)

Perhaps you could get input from others that are serious about FiveWeb to provide input on their requirements.

I am more than willing to purchase it as well.

FWH has helped me take my applications global and are very much commercialized.

My customers are now demanding a web based product and I must meet their needs one way or another.

Also, this would be a GREAT topic for the FWH Conference.

Antonio, thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Darrell,

I am now quite busy building FiveTouch for Android, but once I get some free time again, I will build such app with pleasure

Thank Antonio

Have you thought of doing a survey on developers on this forum to determine what is most important to them? If developers are creating customized applications for each customers or if they are building commercial applications targeted at large customer base.

Also, not to mix FiveWeb with the conference, but whatever happened to the conference?

Darrell,

It may be a good idea to do such survey, anyhow I think there are all kind of different needs.

The conference is something that for sure I would like that happens. Sarabjeet is delayed on his development (today I sent him a new email. I wanted his work to be distributed in the conference) and now FiveTouch must be on the agenda same as FiveWeb, so we should wait.

Maybe by summer, or autum. Hopefully